Chapter 12 Lady Fern_2

"Ah, I'm not particular about what she wears," Mrs. Chen said with some concern. "After all, her husband is no longer with us. But if she wishes to remarry, she should at least discuss it with me, so we can help make arrangements. She's still young, and we can't hold her back. I just fear she might stealthily get involved with someone and create a scandal. That would be truly embarrassing."

"Enough, Mother, don't fret over nothing. She's an adult, not a child; she knows what she's doing," Mrs. Xue replied, heads bent as they made clothes for the children.

Unaware of their mother and grandmother's concerns, Jinghan and her siblings headed east that day. The place where the lady ferns grew was different from the celery; they found them in the meadow. There was a meadow to the northeast of the village, where people usually went to pick lady ferns.

Leading the way, Wenhan advised, "Pay attention to your footing, some areas might be wet. Be careful not to fall into the water." Everyone wore their oldest shoes today, reasoning that should they get wet, it wouldn't be a great loss as they were already old.

Once inside the meadow, they spotted clusters of furry lady ferns amidst the grasses. They spread out, each searching for their own lady ferns. Jinghan, with her head lowered searching, soon spotted several clusters. Lady ferns belong to the bracken family and often grow in groups of over a dozen, perfect for breaking off a whole bunch at once. Now was the ideal time; they were about half a foot tall, with their leaves not yet fully unfurled. The stems, dark red or green, were covered in blackish-brown scale-like hairs, which is why they were called lady ferns. They could be eaten fresh, cleaned and stir-fried after removing the hairs; they had a slick texture inside that was quite distinctive. Otherwise, they could be dried and rehydrated in winter to eat when there were no vegetables around, making them a real treat.

Everyone was busy hunting for lady ferns in silence. Jinghan's large apron proved useful once more, as she filled it with a good haul. Wenhan, Wencheng, and Zixuan all carried baskets on their backs. Accompanying Zixuan was his sister, Lin Yumei, a pretty young girl slightly older than Jinghan, who worked incredibly fast and soon filled her own basket to the brim. Zixuan would then empty his sister's basket into his own and hand the empty one back to her.

Yumei glanced at Jinghan, "Jinghan, your method is better; it holds more and spares you from carrying a basket all the time. I'll make one for myself when we get back today."

"Sure, we'll come back tomorrow. While they're available, might as well gather as much as we can, right? The money from selling these could buy us some tasty treats," Jinghan suggested.

At that, everyone laughed; Jinghan never forgot about food, no matter the situation. Unabashed by their laughter, she thought to herself, food is the essence of livelihood; what's wrong with loving to eat?

After staying in the meadow for about two hours, everyone's baskets and backpacks were brimming with lady ferns. Wenhan led them out of the meadow, and, after parting ways with Zixuan, they each headed home. Seeing how many lady ferns the children had gathered, Mrs. Chen promptly began boiling a large pot of water, which was needed to blanch the ferns before removing the hairs for drying.

Wencheng and Wenchang's harvest was kept separate while Jinghan, Wenhan, and Wenxuan's were grouped together. Once the water boiled, Wencheng's vegetables were blanched first, then drained onto an old mat before Wenhan's batch followed, spread out onto another mat.

"Alright, let's pluck these lady ferns now. While I have the hot stove, I'll start cooking, and I'll come over to help you afterward," said Mrs. Chen while draining the blanching water and then heating up pancakes and vegetables. The firewood beneath the pot was just enough, so there was no need for more.

Jingya and Mrs. Xue also came out to help. Jinghan hurriedly told Jingya to step aside, "Big sister, your hands are so delicate from not doing rough work; don't spoil them. Otherwise, if they become rough, you won't be able to do embroidery anymore."

"Right, rough hands can snag the threads," Mrs. Xue agreed. "You should avoid this work. We'll have these cleaned up soon." Left with no choice, Jingya sat and watched everyone work. Huixin came out of the house wanting to help but was sent away by everyone for the same reason. Aunt and niece sat helplessly, watching the others work.

Emerging from the kitchen, Mrs. Chen joined Wencheng and Wenchang in their task, sighing, "Your mother, she's been out visiting all day and still hasn't come back to help, even though the children have brought so much back." Her hands were busy, quickly plucking lady ferns as she spoke.

It took everyone about half an hour to finish plucking all the lady ferns. The hairs and other residue were disposed of in the manure pit. Then they shook out the two mats, spread the lady ferns evenly, and laid them out in a sunny spot to dry. The yield wasn't abundant; over twenty pounds of fresh ferns would only dry down to about one pound. Based on today's pickings, they would achieve roughly five or six pounds. Jinghan decided to return the next day; with her eldest brother and Wencheng attending school, Wenxuan and Wenchang could help gather more daily.

Jingya and Huixin quickly set the table for lunch, and everyone gathered to eat. Zhixin and the old master were in the ginseng field, where it was time to weed for the first round—a tiring job that required them to leave early in the morning with the bullock cart, returning late at night. Mrs. Wei had gone out and hadn't returned yet, which made Mrs. Chen sigh once more.