Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 451: Chapter 237: Picking Water Bamboo Shoots

Once everyone saw they were stable in their wooden tubs, they stopped teasing and began to watch them harvest the water bamboo shoots with great interest.

At this point, the two wooden tubs weren’t far from the bank, so everyone could see everything clearly.

When the water bamboo shoots blossom, the flowers emerge from the water’s surface beneath the leaves, displaying their delicate colors in a world of floating duckweed. But when they bear fruit, the water bamboo shoots themselves hide underwater, beneath the leaves.

To pick the water bamboo shoots, one had to lift the rosette of leaves floating flat on the water’s surface and flip the whole plant over to reveal the shoots growing beneath the dense foliage.

The two of them began to pick nonstop. It wasn’t every day they got to come down here, so they picked everything, tender or tough, aside from the ones that were still too small. They tossed them into the empty space in the tubs behind them.

Changxing was more meticulous. He always lifted the rosette of leaves gently, picked the shoots one by one, and only then tossed the plant onto the water nearby to distinguish it from the ones he hadn’t picked yet.

From Liu Sanshun’s constant shouts, everyone realized there was a knack to harvesting water bamboo shoots. You could just snap the tender ones off by hand, but for the older ones, you had to lift the rosette of leaves gently and pick them carefully. Otherwise, the really old ones would fall into the water at the slightest touch.

Liu Xiaomei grew anxious watching him. "Third Brother, can you be a little gentler?" she complained. "They’re all falling in the water! And keep the tender and tough ones separate. It’ll save us from having to sort them all out later."

Sanshun laughed. "If they fall, they fall. We need to leave some for seed anyway. Mei, I can’t separate the old from the tender ones. There’s nowhere to put them."

Juhua quickly chimed in, "It’s easy enough. Put the tough ones on one side and the tender ones on the other. It doesn’t matter if you mix up a few, it’s still better than lumping them all together."

Sanshun glanced at Juhua and grinned. "Alright! I’ll separate them like Juhua said. Changxing, how many have you got?"

Li Changxing paddled his wooden tub forward a little. "A few pounds already," he said with a smile. "You can pick them really fast. It’s just that sitting in this tub with my legs curled up is a little uncomfortable—they’ve gone numb."

He could easily control the tub’s balance now, no longer afraid to look up and talk to the people on the bank. He grinned at the girls and said, "I’m working so hard picking these water bamboo shoots for you all. You’d better give me a bigger share later."

Zhuzi pursed her lips. "Of course we’re going to give you a bigger share. But weren’t you supposed to be all polite and say, ’My mother and I can’t eat that many, you girls should take more. Girls love snacks, but I don’t really care for them’? How could you just come right out and ask us for it!"

Hearing this, Meizi and Liu Xiaomei lowered their heads, stifling their laughter. Juhua and Xiu also started giggling softly. Li Changxing looked at Zhuzi helplessly, at a loss against her sharp tongue. But he clearly wasn’t upset; instead, he just shook his head at her, a smile playing on his lips.

Guizhi smiled at Zhuzi. "Why are you always picking on him?"

Zhuzi fell silent. ’Should I just admit that I want to knock him down a peg whenever he gets that smug look on his face? Even if it’s true, I can’t say that out loud.’

Seeing Li Changxing get shot down, Liu Sanshun gloated, "You want a bigger share? Isn’t that like trying to pull a tooth from a tiger’s mouth? Look at me, I don’t even bring it up. I’ll take whatever my little sister gives me later!"

The people on the bank burst into another round of laughter.

Xiu watched Liu Sanshun, who had already paddled to the center of the pond. He was picking the water bamboo shoots with ease, laughing and chatting. His round face wore a brilliant smile, as warm and gentle as a summer breeze. A smile touched her own lips without her realizing it. She lowered her head to snap the stems of the water bamboo shoot plants, stealing glances at him from time to time, her heart filled with joy.

Li Changxing was so irritated he slammed the plant in his hand into the water. "Are you doing that just to mock me?" he said. "You know I don’t have a sister, and you still say something like that! Meizi, you’d better stick up for me later," he called out to her.

Meizi stifled a laugh and comforted him, "Xingzi, don’t you worry. You’ll definitely get your share. Come over to our place for dinner tonight."

Li Changxing smiled, satisfied. "Stir-fry the water bamboo shoot kernels with chili peppers." He was already ordering dishes, which made even Li Changming shake his head at him with a laugh.

The girls under the willow tree were snapping the stems of the plants while rummaging messily through the pile they had gathered.

What were they doing? Looking for any missed shoots, of course! Juhua was especially enthusiastic, but what she really wanted was to get in one of the wooden tubs and experience it for herself.

Seeing her gather so many, Big Mouth Zhao laughed. "Juhua, you really like water bamboo shoots, don’t you? I remember your family put some in your fishpond too. Are they ready to be picked yet?"

Juhua smiled. "They’re ready. I was planning to go pick them in a few days. If I could just get a turn in one of the tubs today, then I’d have some experience for when I do, wouldn’t I?"