Free Web NovelChapter 450: Chapter 236: Finding Fun in a Busy Life (Part 2)
She had planted far too many chili peppers, and selling them was out of the question—who would even buy them? The only thing to do was process them herself for now. Later, once the workshop was built, if the pickles sold well, she could sell the processed peppers to the workshop as raw ingredients.
So, every few days, Juhua would haul basket after basket of red peppers home. Some were sun-dried and ground into chili powder. Others were washed, air-dried, and put into a large wooden tub. Using a sharpened spade, she would chop them repeatedly inside the tub until they were in small pieces. Then, she would add ginger and garlic to make pickled chili slices, or grind them into chili paste with a stone mill.
Doing this kind of work alone was dull, and besides, she needed the help. So, Juhua often got together with Xiu and Meizi to help each other out. One day they would be at one person’s house pickling chili slices, the next they’d be at another’s grinding chili paste. By teaming up and helping one another, the work went by much faster, and it was more lively too.
Even Liu Xiaomei would often come over and complain to the group that she lived too far away to join in all the time. Sometimes she would get together with Zhuzi and Lin Zi instead. Jinxiang also rarely went out anymore—she was engaged, after all.
Meizi was becoming more and more capable. She, who once claimed she was no good at pickling chili slices, was now everyone’s technical expert.
The life of a farmer is perpetually busy and arduous. But some people fill that life with laughter, while others just grit their teeth and endure. Juhua, naturally, wasn’t one to let life become a bitter struggle. After so many days of hard work, she couldn’t resist the urge to sneak in a little fun.
Of course, her idea of "fun" wasn’t about neglecting her responsibilities. It was just about finding some interesting food and recreation outside of her regular work to liven things up—like foraging for wild bamboo shoots, digging a fishpond to raise fish, gathering wild vegetables, picking mushrooms, and so on.
Now that the season was right, another idea came to mind: harvesting water bamboo shoots.
When Meizi heard she was planning to harvest the water bamboo shoots in her pond, she quickly said, "Your pond is right by your door, and it’s small. Let’s not harvest from it yet. We should go to the Round Pond first; that one’s huge. I’ll have Changming go ask Changxing if it’s all right."
Juhua thought that made sense. The Round Pond was several times larger than her own and much deeper. ’If only they had a small boat to glide through the green waters, drifting along as they gathered water bamboo shoots—what a delightful experience that would be.’
So, Li Changming went to find Li Changxing, who had leased the Round Pond for his own use.
Li Changxing laughed, saying the water bamboo shoots belonged to the whole village. In the past, anyone who wanted some would just go in and pick them; there was never a rule against it. He suggested they do a big harvest, and then they could share the bounty with all the village children.
So that afternoon, the two of them called over Liu Sanshun and hauled over two large, shallow bathing tubs—much less deep than the one Juhua used. Then, a whole crowd of them headed for the Round Pond in a great procession.
A good number of the village girls came along too. They didn’t just want to eat the water bamboo shoots; they also wanted to watch the spectacle and pick some of the water bamboo shoot greens while they were at it.
They all gathered under a willow tree by the pond’s edge. First, Li Changxing scooped up a pile of water bamboo shoot greens for the girls to sort through. Then, he and Liu Sanshun each climbed into a wooden tub and began to paddle clumsily toward the center.
Juhua didn’t get to see the idyllic scene of boats gliding across the water she had imagined. Instead, she saw two wooden tubs spinning in circles. Liu Sanshun’s tub was just turning in place, completely unable to move forward, sending the crowd into fits of laughter. Li Changxing’s tub wobbled precariously from side to side. It managed to inch forward, but it was an ungainly sight, utterly devoid of the leisurely grace of real boating.
Liu Sanshun, struggling to control his tub, said to Li Changxing in exasperation, "I told you we should borrow Uncle Li’s boat, but you said it was too much trouble. Well, isn’t this even more trouble?"
Li Changxing laughed. "Isn’t this basically a boat? It just takes a little knack. You’ll get the hang of it after a few more tries. Besides, Uncle Li’s boat hasn’t been in the water for ages. Who knows if it’s even usable!" As he spoke, his tub did indeed steady and begin to move forward.
On the pond bank, Zhuzi let out a peal of crisp laughter. "Changxing! Sanshun! You two have been around the water for so many years, and you can’t even keep a wooden tub steady? And you still have the nerve to brag about how good you are in the water!"
When Li Changxing heard that, he ignored the wobbly tub beneath him and shot a sideways glance at Zhuzi. Seeing her sweet, teasing smile, he felt a stir in his heart and called back, "Hey, Zhuzi, don’t be so quick to judge! It’s not like we’ve ever paddled in tubs before—who does that for fun? You have to give us a second to get used to it. See? I’m doing much better now, aren’t I?"
But the moment his attention was divided, the tub he had just managed to balance started to wobble again. It was even more unstable than before, and just like Liu Sanshun, he started spinning in place.
This perfectly timed comeuppance made everyone laugh even harder.
Zhuzi stomped her foot, laughing. "Oh, much better—you’re about to capsize! Hey! Changming, Big Mouth! You two better get ready to jump in and save him!"
Big Mouth Zhao, who had brought his wife to help with the water bamboo shoot greens and was waiting for a taste of the harvest, heard this and laughed. "Xingzi could stay underwater for an hour and still climb out full of life. He doesn’t need anyone to save him!"
Juhua asked in disbelief, "Really?"
Big Mouth Zhao had finally gotten a chance to show off, only to be called out by Juhua. He couldn’t very well lie to her, so he just grinned sheepishly. "Nah, it’s not true. I was just kidding, Juhua. But Xingzi really is a great swimmer."
His wife, Guizhi, shot him a glare. "Always spouting nonsense!"
Juhua laughed too. ’If he were really that good in the water, wouldn’t that make him a water spirit?’
Li Changxing had no time to banter with the girls on the bank. He focused all his energy on controlling the large tub and finally got it stable again. This time, he didn’t dare look around, carefully paddling his tub toward the thickest patch of water bamboo shoots. On the other side of the patch, Liu Sanshun had also made progress. He had finally moved forward a short distance, reached the plants, and begun harvesting.
They sat on one edge of their tubs, causing them to tilt slightly. This brought them closer to the water’s surface, making it easier to scoop up the plants and pick the water bamboo shoots.
