Chapter 17: Gathering Wild Vegetables

Having spent seven or eight years in the military, he was likely a capable young man, and Tang Lin couldn't help but feel curious about his background.

"Big sister, how old is your son? What's his current position? Why hasn't he had a partner all these years? Is it because his standards are too high?"

The auntie waved her hands helplessly. "How would I dare to have high standards? It's just that there are no girls in his unit, and when they come back for blind dates, they never meet anyone suitable. Plus, they have very few holidays each year. It's just been delayed year after year. Talking about this makes me worried to death. He's not that old; he's twenty-seven by traditional age, and I heard he's currently a platoon leader in the army."

Tang Lin nodded and quickly changed the subject. Chatting about daily life made the afternoon pass quite quickly.

Throughout the entire process, Leng Hui leaned against the bed without saying a word. When she grew tired of sitting, she would stand by the window to look at the scenery outside.

Based on her understanding of Comrade Tang Lin, it wasn't that she had taken a liking to him. She had heard that for a military family to be stationed together, the officer had to be at least a battalion commander level. Furthermore, there was farm work to be done in the countryside; based on this alone, the auntie's son was not within Tang Lin's considerations.

The next day, Leng Hui assisted Tang Lin with her morning wash and went to the canteen to get breakfast.

After they finished breakfast, they confirmed that Tang Lin's treatment for today would be the same as yesterday. Moreover, Tang Lin was now able to move freely, provided her movements weren't too large.

After several days, Leng Hui left the hospital once again.

Leng Yongkang rode his bicycle to the factory gate and saw from a distance that Leng Hui, who should have been at the hospital, was blocking the entrance again.

"You're not at the hospital taking care of your mother, so why are you at the factory again today? If you're here to ask me for money or coupons, I don't have any. Last time, I already took an advance on this month's wages, and it's not time for next month yet."

Hearing this, Leng Hui's face darkened. "I'm not asking you for money. Now that you're at the factory, give me the bicycle. I need to use it today."

"Where are you going to ride a bicycle?"

Leng Yongkang didn't want to give up the bicycle from the bottom of his heart. He hadn't forgotten the last time the mother and daughter rode the bicycle down a steep slope. The front wheel hub had been deformed, and it only got fixed after the hub was replaced.

"Spring is in bloom; I'm planning to ride to the outskirts to pick some wild vegetables."

In the era of farming, "spring in bloom" also meant the period of food scarcity. During this season, the winter wheat in the fields had not yet ripened, and the household grain supplies were nearly exhausted. Wild vegetables became the life-saving food to fill their bellies during this time.

Hearing that she was going to pick wild vegetables, Leng Yongkang had no choice but to give her the bicycle, despite his reluctance. He originally wanted to give her a few words of warning, but before he knew it, she had already slipped away with the bike a considerable distance.

In the apocalypse, radiation-free wild vegetables were extremely precious and priceless.

Having been here for many days, the reason she wanted to go out today was that during the conversation with the auntie yesterday, Leng Hui had heard them mention a type of plant called *shù qǔ cǎo* (marsh marigold/bittercress). Because the best time to pick it was around the Qingming Festival, it was also called Qingming grass or Qingming vegetable in some places.

Hearing them say yesterday that it could be used to make Qingming dumplings and meat cakes, Leng Hui had to admit she was craving it. Last time she had "pried" into Old Lady Leng's "treasure box," she saw there were a few pounds of rice flour inside, which would be perfect to use with the wild vegetables to satisfy her craving.

"Leng Hui, Leng Hui!"

Jiang Jingtao rode up behind her, panting heavily. "Wait for me! Are you riding so fast to go reincarnate?"

Leng Hui turned her head to look at his breathless state and said disdainfully, "You're the one who's weak, so don't blame me."

"..." Jiang Jingtao was choked up and defended himself indignantly, "I saw you zoom past my house on that bike, so I rode after you. Besides, I just climbed a hill. If I didn't have good physical fitness, I might have collapsed from exhaustion just now."

"Hey, Leng Hui, where are you heading?"

"There's no food at home, so I'm going to the wild to dig up some vegetables to eat," Leng Hui lied casually.

To her surprise, Jiang Jingtao took her seriously. "Speaking of which, your family has been really unlucky this month, with people getting injured and hospitalized one after another."

Leng Hui ignored him. There was a large puddle ahead, so she held the handlebars steady and glided smoothly past it. Jiang Jingtao, following behind, was a bit flustered; his handlebars swayed wildly left and right before he managed to stabilize.

"The roads out of town are terrible; these big puddles were all caused by heavy trucks. Leng Hui, Leng Hui, can I ask you to slow down? If you're going to dig for wild vegetables, what are you going to use to carry them?"

With a "screech," she slammed on the brakes.

Leng Hui stood on her tiptoes. Prompted by his reminder, she realized she had forgotten to bring a basket. She had a spatial dimension, but it wouldn't be convenient to use with Jiang Jingtao following her.

Seeing her stop suddenly, Jiang Jingtao struggled again before bringing his bike to a halt. "I say, if you're going to stop, say so beforehand! What a nuisance!"

Leng Hui looked at him and said vexatiously, "I forgot to bring a basket."

"Ha! I knew you forgot. I saw earlier that there was nothing tied to your bike," Jiang Jingtao said triumphantly, as if he had finally won a round.

Leng Hui tapped her forehead in frustration and suggested, "How about you go back and get a basket, then come back?"

"...Going back would take too much time." Having ridden such a long way to catch up, Jiang Jingtao was reluctant to turn back. But if they didn't go back, they wouldn't have anything to carry the vegetables in.

Meeting Leng Hui's teasing gaze, he knew she was intentionally playing with him. However...

"First, tell me exactly where you're going to pick the vegetables. I'll go get a basket and then find you."

Leng Hui gave a general direction—just keep going straight along this road.

***

*Shù qǔ cǎo* was easy to identify; with its slight white fuzz, it could be recognized at a glance among the green field ridges.

Leng Hui first collected some into her space, then piled the rest she picked on the ridge. By the time Jiang Jingtao arrived with a basket, Leng Hui had already picked a lot, and a small pile had formed on the ridge. Once put into the basket, it was almost full.

After pressing down the vegetables in the basket, the two of them picked for a while longer before riding back.

"My mom heard that you and I came to pick Qingming vegetables together, so she's preparing things at home in advance. She's making Qingming dumplings for lunch and asked me to invite you to our house for a meal."

"Forget it, cooking is quite a hassle, and besides, I have to go back to the hospital to take care of my mother." Leng Hui was not used to being a guest at someone else's house, so she politely declined his invitation.

"We only eat Qingming dumplings once or twice a year. My mom prepared two types of fillings: cured meat and egg. Do you really not want to eat them? My favorite is the cured meat filling. One bite and you not only taste the salty fragrance of the meat, but the dumpling even oozes oil..."

Leng Hui swallowed hard. How annoying—using delicious food to tempt her.

Returning to the Leng house, given Old Lady Leng's stinginess, she might not be willing to take out her treasured rice flour to make food.

Maybe, should she go to Jiang Jingtao's house for lunch today?