TLHRP 🍁 Chapter 3: Pickled Sour Bamboo Shoots

Entering the kitchen, he saw a sturdy young man with handsome features, wheat-colored skin, and a broad, solid chest. This must be the eldest brother, Qin Feng.

Turning his head, he also spotted a graceful young woman dressed in emerald green, with snow-white skin and a delicate, lovely oval face. This must be the second sister, Qin Fu.

It could be said that the Qin family members were all quite good-looking. Only Father Qin and Mother Qin, having toiled half their lives bent over the fields with their faces turned to the sky, now bore the marks of hardship and age on their faces; one could only imagine their youthful looks through the features of their children.

As for the eldest sister-in-law, Li Yan, she might not have been a stunning beauty, but she was still a fresh-faced, lovely woman, though as a rural wife, she lacked a certain refinement. The youngest brother, Qin Luo, was still small, but even at his tender age it was clear he would grow into a handsome young man.

Qin Li had only transmigrated into this world a day ago and hadn't yet looked in a mirror, so he had no idea what he looked like here. But judging by his family, he probably wasn't too bad-looking.

"Why have you come out, Li ge'er? Are you feeling better?" Qin Fu Fu asked as she ladled a bowl of rice for Qin Li.

"Much better. I can get out of bed and walk around now," Qin Li replied, sitting on a wooden stool as he watched Qin Luo push a bowl of plain congee toward him.

"Third brother, you should have this congee. Mother went next door to Auntie He's to get some shredded chicken to cook into it. Eat it to build up your strength, so you'll recover faster."

"Alright." A warm feeling welled up in Qin Li's chest as he looked at the bowl of congee on the table.

"Li ge'er, you should rest well at home these next two days. Early tomorrow morning Father and I are going to sell vegetables. Is there anything you'd like? I'll bring it back for you," Qin Fen Feng said.

"No need, big brother. I don't lack for anything at home."

"Now eat quickly. You two father and son worked so hard all day today. And you too, Fu'er, eat more. And let me tell you, don't sneak around embroidering at night anymore. What if you ruin your eyes?" Mother Qin chided her children.

Listening and watching, Qin Li felt deeply content. He really liked this family.

Beneath the dim candlelight, the warm scent of home filled the air...

Early the next morning, a knock came at the Qin family's door.

Mother Qin opened the door to find Auntie Wang standing there with her son and grandson, carrying a large bundle of things in her hands.

"Auntie Qin... I've brought Ergouzi to apologize and thank you," Auntie Wang said awkwardly.

"Come in and speak," Mother Qin said, opening the door to welcome the three inside. "Our Li ge'er is still asleep, so I won't wake him."

"Of course, of course. Let Li ge'er sleep a little longer, a little longer."

Auntie Wang pulled Ergouzi forward and said, “Last night, Ergouzi’s father and I had a good talk with him. It was all his fault. He was too playful, wouldn’t listen, and even lied to us. We failed to teach him properly, and Li ge’er has suffered because of it these past few days. We are truly sorry.

"We're sorry, Auntie Qin. From now on I'll definitely teach Ergouzi properly. Li ge'er saved his life, and I'll make sure Ergouzi never forgets it," Ergouzi's father said. "He's our only child. If it hadn't been for Li ge'er and something had happened to him, how would we ever go on?"

"There's no need to say all that. In the future, Ergouzi, don't be so playful. Be a good boy, understand?" Mother Qin said, looking down at Ergouzi.

"I understand, Auntie Qin. Ergouzi will be good from now on and won't run around recklessly anymore."

"Good boy." She patted Ergouzi's head.

After offering their gifts and apologies, the Wang family left. Not long after, Qin Li woke up.

Waking up, Qin Li pounded his shoulders and couldn't help but groan: This bed is so hard! My whole back aches from sleeping on it!

He got out of bed, went to the courtyard to wash his face, and brushed his teeth with a willow twig. Then he found Mother Qin, who was sorting things together with the eldest sister-in-law.

"These are the apology gifts the Wang family brought early this morning. Your sister-in-law and I are sorting through them. We'll stew this half-cut of meat to nourish you. And this string of coins, I reckon it's about a month's wages for Ergouzi's father. They were truly sincere." Mother Qin pulled out a cloth bundle tucked underneath, and when she opened it, a string of coins was revealed inside.

The days passed simply like this. Qin Li was eager to go outside and look around, but the Qin family all insisted he was still weak and that the spring wind was too cold. Afraid the chill would seep into his body, they kept him confined to the house to rest.

During this time, Qin Li also looked in a mirror. Though the ancient mirror was not clear, he could still tell that the face of this body bore an eighty percent resemblance to his past self.

His hair was black and glossy, falling over his shoulders; his almond eyes were pure and innocent; his small, delicate nose was straight and upturned; his lips were naturally red, small and thin. Truly, he was a handsome young man with fine, delicate features.

After resting like this for four to five days, his complexion had grown a bit rosier, and only then did the Qin family allow Qin Li to go outside for some fresh air.

Qin Li stood under a tree not far from the door, looking this way and that, when he noticed several women in the distance carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, chatting and laughing with one another.

"Aunties, where are you all going with those baskets?" Qin Li asked with a smile.

"Why, it's Li ge'er! You look much better. We're just coming back from digging bamboo shoots. It rained a couple of days ago, and now the spring shoots are popping up everywhere, we just dug casually and filled a whole basket. Here, hurry home and get a basket, take some to stir-fry and eat," one of the aunties said.

"No need, Auntie. My mother also went out with a basket this morning, she probably went to dig shoots too. Once she comes back, we'll have bamboo shoots to eat."

"Alright then. We'll be on our way."

"Goodbye, Aunties. Walk slowly and watch your step." Having lying in bed for days, Qin Li had no intention of remaining idle. He had been constantly thinking about how to get rich and make a fortune.

After much thought, he decided it was better to start by earning small amounts of money first and take things slowly. After all, the Qin family had no connections or influence, they were just ordinary commoners. If he suddenly achieved some great success, he wouldn't be able to hold onto it; rather than getting rich, it would more likely bring disaster.

For this reason, Qin Li racked his brains. What kind of business should he start?

As the saying goes: Food is the people's heaven. People can go without luxuries, but it's impossible to go without food. So long as one lives, one must eat. Besides, a food business would be much easier; any random snack from the modern era would sell like hotcakes here.

But Qin Li was stuck on what to make. What kind of food would yield huge profits for little cost? After all, he had almost no capital right now. What kind of food had ingredients he could get for free?

Going out today had indeed yielded results!

Qin Li had made up his mind: he would make sour bamboo shoots! This was the season when spring shoots were sprouting; the mountains were full of them, free for the digging. All he needed to do was put in the effort to dig them up, bring them home, and wash them, truly, it cost nothing at all.

When he returned home, Qin Li grabbed a basket and found the eldest sister-in-law. "Sister-in-law, I heard from the aunties that the spring bamboo shoots are out in the mountains. I want to go dig some up to cook."

The eldest sister-in-law, who had been feeding the chickens, washed her hands upon hearing this and picked up a basket as well. "I'll go with you. Let's dig plenty."

Qin Li followed behind his sister-in-law to the bamboo grove at the foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with shoot tips breaking through the earth.

The two squatted down to dig, and in no time both baskets were full. Looking at the bamboo shoots covering the ground, Qin Li felt a surge of joy. These were all money! With just a little work, they would turn into lovely little coins.

After returning home, Qin Li set his basket of bamboo shoots aside and asked his sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, do we have any empty jars at home?"

"What do you need empty jars for?"

"I want to pickle some sour bamboo shoots to eat."

"Pickled sour bamboo shoots? Mother pickled some a few years ago, but it wasn't good, had an astringent taste, and was a little bitter too. If we hadn't been so short on food, hardly anyone would have eaten it," the eldest sister-in-law said.

"Mm. I've been thinking of some methods these past two days while I've been idle. It probably won't taste too bad."

"I remember Mother threw out the last batch she pickled, so there are a few empty jars left. I'll find them and wash them for you."

While his sister-in-law looked for the jars, Qin Li soaked the bamboo shoots and gathered some chili peppers, garlic, and ginger, setting them aside. His sister-in-law watched as Qin Li bustled about like a spinning top.

Qin Li put the washed bamboo shoots into a large pot to boil. When white foam began to rise to the surface, he fished the shoots out and soaked them in a basin of cold water.

"Soak them overnight first. We can pickle them tomorrow."

By evening, the entire Qin family knew Qin Li was going to pickle sour bamboo shoots, and they all looked forward to it eagerly.

The next day, Qin Li fished out the bamboo shoots that had soaked overnight, washed them, and placed them in the jars. Then he chopped up the chili peppers, garlic, and ginger, added them to the jars, and put in two spoonfuls of salt.

After thinking for a moment, he said to his sister-in-law, "I remember Mother has a vat of brine for curdling tofu, right? Which vat is it?"

Once he found the brine, Qin Li ladled a spoonful into the bamboo shoot jars, then poured in clear water and sealed the jars.

"Li ge'er, your method is really novel. I've never seen anyone add those things when pickling sour bamboo shoots," the eldest sister-in-law remarked.

In this dynasty, people pickled sour bamboo shoots very simply: they washed the shoots, boiled them, added two spoonfuls of salt, and set them aside for ten days to half a month, and that was that.

"Let's try it. Maybe it'll taste really good."

"How many days do you plan to pickle them for, Li ge'er?"

Qin Li thought for a moment. He had added so many things, plus the brine, they should absorb the flavor faster and wouldn't need to wait so long. "Three days. Three days should be enough. We can taste them then, and if they're not ready, we can pickle them longer."

The two carried the jar of sour bamboo shoots to a cool, shady corner of the wall, leaving it there to wait for the tasting in three days' time.

Three days passed quickly. That evening, the entire Qin family gathered around the table, waiting to taste the pickled shoots.

Qin Li carefully opened the jar and sniffed. The sour aroma of bamboo shoots hit his nose. He scooped out a bowlful, and each member of the Qin family took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece, and put it in their mouth to savor carefully.

"This sour bamboo shoot... is very delicious," Father Qin was the first to speak.

"It tastes completely different from what Mother makes. The flavor is really quite good," Qin Fen echoed.

"Right! The sour bamboo shoots Mother makes are astringent and bitter, but the ones third brother made are so fragrant and spicy!" Qin Luo said.

"Sour and refreshing, both spicy and fragrant, very appetizing," Mother Qin gave her final assessment.

As for Qin Fu and the eldest sister-in-law, they couldn't stop eating, nodding repeatedly. It was simply too delicious!

"With this sour bamboo shoot, I could eat three big bowls of rice all by itself," the eldest sister-in-law said.

Hearing everyone's words, Qin Li's heart settled, and he got straight to the point: "Father, Mother, Sister-in-law... do you think we could sell this sour bamboo shoot in town?"

The Qin family members glanced at one another, and Qin Fu spoke first: "Father, Mother, I think we could. Li ge'er's sour bamboo shoots really are delicious. You can see for yourselves, his method is truly different from anything else. Have any of you ever seen anything like it in all these years?"

Father Qin and Mother Qin nodded. "I've lived half my life, and every method I've ever seen was just like mine. Every batch I've ever eaten was astringent and bitter. This is the first time I've tasted sour bamboo shoots so crisp and delicious. They have the fresh fragrance of bamboo shoots, the sourness of pickling, the spiciness of chili, garlic, and ginger, and they're so aromatic."

In the end, Father Qin made the decision: they would take them to town to sell!

After all, bamboo shoots were covering the hillsides right now. It wouldn't take much time for the whole family to go out, dig for a few days, wash them, and pickle them.