Chapter 244: Chapter 132: Meizi’s Love 2

Liu Sanshun shouldered two long bamboo poles and a carrying pole with two bamboo baskets, and went with several of the girls to the edge of the round pond to gather water bamboo shoot plants.

Staring at the round pond, packed full of glossy green water bamboo shoot plants, and the lush, verdant gourd vines all around, Juhua secretly regretted not coming sooner. ’I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time to appreciate the scenery right beside me. It’s almost unbelievable.’

Liu Sanshun plunged the two long poles into the water, aiming for a dense patch of the plants. He clamped down on a section of them, then twisted the poles together, entangling the floating mass and dragging it toward the pond bank.

The plants were pulled up, roots and all, dragging a long, straggly trail behind them. Their long rootstalks were covered in olive-green filaments, just like a beard.

Once on the bank, Liu Sanshun twisted the poles in the opposite direction, releasing the water bamboo shoot plants and piling them into the bamboo baskets.

Meizi, Juhua, and Mei gathered around. Rummaging through the pile of plants with her hands, Meizi cried out joyfully, “There are water bamboo shoots in here! Wow! And they’re not small!”

As she spoke, she picked off a green water bamboo shoot. Its four corners were still straight and hadn’t yet curved, a sign it was still tender—once they got older, these corners would curl up like hooks. Meizi snapped one corner off with both hands, revealing the white kernel inside.

She looked up at Mei and Juhua and grinned. “I’ll try it first to see if it’s sweet!”

This made both Mei and Juhua laugh. Without wasting any words, they started searching as well and, sure enough, found plenty more.

The tender and crisp water bamboo shoot kernels were sweet, juicy, and incredibly refreshing.

Liu Sanshun watched the girls laugh and joke with a smile, his hands quickly twisting up pile after pile of the plants. After filling the two large bamboo baskets, he asked, “Is this enough?”

Juhua quickly replied, “That’s enough. It’s a huge load, more than enough for the three of us to share.”

Meizi and Mei also said it was enough, so the group turned back toward the village. Liu Sanshun followed behind, carrying the load of water bamboo shoot plants that made his carrying pole bend.

As they were talking and laughing, they ran right into Li Changming. He was coming from another field ridge carrying a load of corn on a shoulder pole, also heading for the village. Suddenly, Meizi went quiet.

She had been laughing loudly just a moment before, and her abrupt silence struck Mei as very strange. She kept prodding, “Isn’t that right, Meizi?”

Meizi answered distractedly, “It is!”

She had already forgotten what they were even talking about. Her eyes were fixed on Li Changming’s scruffy face, her heart began to ache, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. She murmured his name, “Changming!”

Juhua heard the strange tone in her voice and looked back at her. Seeing Meizi’s expression, she sighed to herself. ’There’s no doubt about it. Meizi is in love with Li Changming.’

Hearing Meizi call his name, Li Changming paused for a moment before giving a gruff acknowledgment.

Mei and Juhua greeted him as well. Liu Sanshun called out loudly, “Hey, Changming! Harvesting your corn?”

Li Changming glanced at him, grunted in affirmation, and stopped to let them pass first.

Meizi walked past him in a daze, her footing so unsteady that she nearly stepped into a ditch beside the path.

Following behind, Liu Sanshun yelled, “Whoa! Careful, Meizi! There’s water in that ditch. It’ll be a pain if you fall in and get your shoes wet.”

Li Changming’s heart jumped when he heard that. He glanced worriedly at Meizi and only looked away once he saw she had regained her balance.

And yet, as he walked behind the group, he couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting toward Meizi.

He deliberately slowed his pace, only speeding up again after they were a good distance ahead.

’I’m not a little boy anymore. I know how things are. Since Meizi’s family won’t approve this match, it’s better to be careful. The last thing I want is for gossip to cause her trouble.’

Liu Sanshun carried the water bamboo shoot plants into his own backyard and set the load down under a peach tree to rest. Mei brought out small stools, and she, Juhua, and Meizi sat down to start prepping the plants.

Meizi couldn’t regain her earlier liveliness. Her attempt at hiding her feelings was so clumsy that Mei immediately noticed something was off. Just as Mei opened her mouth to ask, Juhua gave her a little nudge. Though confused, Mei at least had the sense not to press the issue.

Juhua picked up one of the vines and smiled. “These plants are nice and thick. Look, they’ve sprouted so many offshoots.”

Several forked stems emerged from a single stalk, each one holding up a green, duckweed-like cluster of leaves. The leaves were arranged in a neat pattern, spreading outward instead of upward. Some had small white flowers, while others had already produced water bamboo shoots, releasing a faint, fresh scent.

Mei laughed. “That’s why it’s good that we gathered some. Otherwise, the pond gets too crowded. Once you clear some out, the rest of the water bamboo shoots can grow better. Juhua, be careful. Sometimes there are leeches on these little air bladders.”

Thinking of those soft-bodied leeches, which were the creatures she loathed most, Juhua couldn’t help a shudder of revulsion. She stared intently at the plant in her hands, terrified she would pick out a leech.

Prepping the water bamboo shoot plants meant stripping the fine roots off the main stalk, then snapping the stem off right where the air bladders began on the leafy top—those bladders could easily hide little bugs. People only ate the stems.

Mei and Juhua chattered and laughed without pause, but Meizi’s silence wasn’t just in her words—her hands had stopped moving as well.

Seeing how obviously lost in thought she was, Juhua quickly tried to start a conversation. “Meizi, you said your mom wanted you to come? She isn’t waiting for you to bring these plants home to stir-fry, is she?”

Mei laughed. “That would be like having nothing else to put in the pot. The garden vegetables aren’t all used up yet. It’s hardly gotten to that point.”

Meizi finally snapped out of it. As she started working on the plants again, she said, “She just wanted a change of pace. These taste best stir-fried with garlic. Juhua, they’re also delicious pickled. You should try it. Mince the stems really fine, add some red chili peppers and garlic, and pickle a whole jar. Then you can scoop some out to make fried rice. It’s so good. My grandma used to pickle them every year.”

Seeing that her spirits had lifted a bit, Juhua smiled and nodded.

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