Chapter 5

“They’re here! They're here!”  We were just a few steps away from the front yard when I spotted Cree running towards me. Uncle Jiang and Seeley quickly emSecond brotherd and helped us carry our loads.

“ You've made quite a harvest in the mountains, huh?”  Uncle Jiang remarked as he took the two trophies from my hands.

“Wah! It’s meat! it's meat!”  Cree exclaimed with excitement.

“ You greedy rascal, always thinking about meat,”  Elder Brother teased, playfully tapping Cree's forehead. This earned him a pout from Cree. Once inside, Seeley fetched chairs for both of us and personally handed me a cup of water.

“ Thank you, Bal,”  I smiled at him, reassuring him that I was fine. He simply nodded and gently lifted my legs, giving them a soothing massage.

“ Uncle Jiang, I need you to make some bamboo traps later so that we can go back and set them up. Oh, and I plan to make some adjustments to them,” I explained. I had noticed some traditional and primitive traps in the mountains, but they relied heavily on luck. My plan was to create foolproof traps to save time and effort.

“ Sure, just let me know what you need,”  Uncle Jiang agreed. Since it was getting late, I decided to prepare lunch.

“ Bal, please start the fire and boil some water. Uncle Jiang, please clean the pigeons. Older brother and Younger brother, clean enough cassava and mushrooms for all of us,”  I instructed.

With that, I grabbed a wooden tub and headed out through the back door. We were fortunate that the previous owner had been well-off despite being an old villager. Perhaps their son, who owned a store in the nearby county, had supported them. As I surveyed the yard, I noticed a row of planted garlic and onions, as well as chili and tomato plants. There were also coiled cucumber plants, although the fruits had been harvested and the plants were not in the best condition. In my past life, I had always longed for a backyard like this, but living in a commercial building never allowed it. However, this time, I was determined to create a backyard full of bountiful meals.

“Sister, what's that?”  Cree curiously peered over my shoulder.

 It's a surprise,”  I replied with a wink, then proceeded to place the clean jelly leaves into the wooden tub and pour in a generous amount of hot water. I stirred until it thickened and transferred it to a 'bilao' that allowed the liquid residue to flow freely into the wooden tube below. After covering it with a white 'katcha', I left it outside.

Then, I made my way to the kitchen and started cooking. First, I placed the cleaned pigeons in an earthenware pot and added some salt and yellow ginger to make a simple Pigeon Soup. Next, I sliced some garlic, onion, ginger, and mushrooms.

“ Sister, what dish are you making?”  Cree asked eagerly, his eyes fixed on the meat.

“ Ha! You little rogue. It's just a simple stir-fried dish with mushrooms and wild plants,” I chuckled, explaining the dish to Cree. After cooking it, I placed the cassava in a wooden steamer at the bottom and arranged the cooked stir-fried dish on top to keep it warm.

“ You kids should go and rest outside. I'll take care of things here,”  Uncle Jiang suggested. I nodded, leaving him with some instructions before making my way outside.

“ Older brother, I noticed that some parts of our fence are broken,”  I pointed out.

“ Hmm, I see,”  he responded, calling Seeley over. The two of them grabbed small machetes and headed towards the bamboo grove.

“ Cree, come here. We need to plant these around the perimeter of our fence,”  I called Cree and started digging.

 I showed him a couple of times, and then we both began planting. After a while, Elder Brother and Seeley returned, and they started fixing the broken fence. I told them to add some sharp and pointy shards to each point so that the yard would be difficult to breach. It was a habit of mine, developed from my past life, to always add some extra protection, considering the unpredictable nature of my previous job.

We were almost finished when Uncle Jiang called us to eat.

We washed up and went inside. On the table, there was a simple meal, but it brought warmth to everyone's hearts. The steamed cassava had been cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating. Seeley placed the meatiest part of the pigeon into my bowl, and Elder Brother did the same for Cree.

“ Thank you, Bal,”  I said, putting some meat into his bowl.

“ Thank you, Elder Brother! Wah! It's been so long since I last had meat,”  Cree exclaimed, and we all laughed, forgetting about the customary silence during meals. He eagerly dug into his food.

“ Delicious!”  “ Wow, it's so yummy!”  “ It's full of flavor!”  Each of us commented on the food. It was a simple dish, but the freshness of the ingredients added a delicate touch, making both the soup and the stir-fried dish delightful.

After finishing our meal, Uncle Jiang cleaned the utensils, and we resumed our work. Later, Uncle Jiang joined us and began making the bamboo traps based on my instructions.

“ Euno, go take a nap for a while,”  Seeley insisted, tugging at my arm.

“ Yes, both you and Cree are still growing, so you need a bit more sleep. We're almost finished,” Elder Brother added. I nodded, holding little Cree close.

“ All of you should also rest. It's still too early to go up the mountain,”  I suggested. I tucked Cree in and lay down beside him. It was early afternoon when Seeley woke me up, and the three of us headed to the mountain. We managed to collect some wild mushrooms. We planned to have an early dinner since we didn't have enough fuel for an oil lamp. I simply made a cassava porridge and prepared some chili-seasoned mushrooms. We enjoyed our meal together, feeling the warmth, and then worked a bit more. After washing up, we ended the night, ready for another day ahead.