Five Flavors

Since May began, Zhao Danshi's crops had gradually started showing signs of growth. The eggplants and cucumbers had begun to bear fruit, while the peppers and beans had flowered. In a few days, they should be able to harvest the vegetables.

There was new progress in the cornfield too. Each stalk had grown two ears of corn. As long as they waited another month or so, the corn would be ready for harvest.

A little after two in the afternoon, Li Ping and Zhao Wende went up the mountain to chop wood.

They were going to fence in the pond to raise ducks. The ducks were already growing bigger, so they had to start putting up the fence now, lest the ducks start running around once they got bigger. Without a fence, they also had to worry about theft.

There was a particular way to build their fence. First, they had to go up the mountain to chop wood, selecting logs about five centimeters in diameter and whittling them into thick-topped, pointed-bottomed stakes like spears. After carrying them back, they would drive the stakes into the ground, burying at least a quarter of their length. They had to give each one a shake to make sure it was firmly planted.

Once the stakes had been evenly driven in, they would split bamboo into strips and weave them around the fixed wooden posts. That would make the fence.

All the trees they chopped came from the back mountain behind their home. Zhao Danshi wanted to clear it out, removing all the miscellaneous trees, then plant a batch of fruit trees next spring. He did not need many. As long as they grew well, his family would not have to worry about fruit in the future.

After soothing Dou Dou, Zhao Danshi prepared to head out to work. Standing in the courtyard, he filled a thermos with herbal tea. "Grandpa, we're supposed to remove the lower ear of corn and keep only the upper one, right?"

"Yes. If you leave both, neither will grow large. Better to pick one off and leave only one." The old man held Dou Dou as he asked, "Have the baby corn come out already?"

"It has. I think we can pick it this week."

"With so much baby corn, what are you going to do after picking it?"

"Keep some for ourselves and pickle the rest." Zhao Danshi pondered for a moment. "I don't think many families around here like baby corn anyway, so we won't sell this batch. Grandpa, why are you asking?"

The old man came over. "Well, if you were going to sell it, I could help you watch the stall at the market."

"Forget it. It won't make much money anyway, so there's no need to fuss over it." Zhao Danshi picked up his straw hat. "The eggplants, peppers, and the rest are about to bear fruit. We need to fertilize them again, and we don't have time for this. Grandpa, I'm heading out."

"Go on, then. If you see any mature eggplants or cucumbers, don't forget to bring some back."

Zhao Danshi waved.

Zhao Wende's arrival had helped them immensely. With his guidance and assistance, the two of them no longer fumbled about in a panic while working.

During this period, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping had steadily weeded, watered, fertilized, and harvested. They were about to enter the harvest season.

They had a lot of fields, so Zhao Danshi planned to plant only during spring and autumn. During the hottest stretch of summer, they would let the crops grow on their own and harvest whatever they could. There was no need to work in the fields under the blazing sun. In summer, they could think about filming videos and take Dou Dou out to have some fun.

After fertilizing the fields, Zhao Danshi made a round of inspection and picked some tender eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, and beans. There was not much, only enough to make about one plate. Then he picked some tender water spinach as well.

That evening, Zhao Danshi cooked an improved version of Three Treasures of the Earth—eggplant, peppers, and tender beans—along with water spinach stir-fried with fermented black beans, cold cucumber salad, beer duck, and fish head soup. He made every dish in generous portions.

By the time Li Ping and Zhao Wende returned from carrying wood, Zhao Danshi had nearly finished cooking. Hearing them arrive, he hurried out with a grin. "Uncle Wende, Senior Brother, sit down for a moment. Dinner will be ready soon."

Zhao Wende felt a little embarrassed. After washing his hands and feet, he said, "Maybe I should go home to eat? There's food at my place too."

"What are you talking about? Eat here. We picked eggplants, cucumbers, and tender beans today. Try the vegetables we grew and see whether they pass muster."

An honest smile spread across Zhao Wende's face. "I don't even need to taste the vegetables you grow to know they can't possibly be bad."

"Then try my cooking. I've learned quite a few new dishes over the past six months. See if they taste good. Ah, I can't keep talking to you—my food's about to burn." Zhao Danshi hurried back inside with his spatula.

A little later, Li Ping came into the kitchen. "I'll help you tend the fire."

"No need, no need. There are only two more dishes, and they'll be ready soon." Seeing him sit boldly in front of the stove, Zhao Danshi found it inexplicably funny and let out a snort of laughter.

Li Ping saw the curve of his smiling eyes and asked, "What's so funny? Why are you laughing like that?"

"Nothing. I just think you should be sitting in an office, maybe in an executive chair. Seeing you sit in front of this little earthen stove feels strangely out of place."

"What's strange about that? I wasn't born sitting in an executive chair." Li Ping smiled faintly and took a bundle of dry grass from the woodpile behind him, stuffing it into the stove.

He wore only a simple T-shirt and casual pants. His clothes were filthy from carrying wood all day, making him look somewhat disheveled. Even so, it did not detract from his handsomeness in the slightest. Illuminated by the firelight from the stove, he looked like a noble young master who had traveled through time.

Zhao Danshi pursed his lips and stopped teasing him. Instead, he asked, "Why aren't you playing with Dou Dou?"

"Grandpa is entertaining him. We'll go keep him company after dinner."

Working together, they soon prepared a whole table of dishes. Today was the first day of harvesting their new vegetables, so Zhao Danshi specially brought out some beer. Everyone had a cup to celebrate.

As usual, Dou Dou stared at their food so hungrily he could barely stand it.

A little tipsy, Zhao Danshi picked up his chubby little boy and placed him on his lap. "Little Dou, want a taste?"

Dou Dou looked up at his face with round, bright eyes. He did not understand what Zhao Danshi was saying, but he cooperatively babbled twice, his babyish voice making everyone's hearts itch.

Just as the old man was about to tell him not to fool around, Zhao Danshi looked at Li Ping. "Senior Brother, it should be all right if I dip a little vegetable juice for him to taste, right? Just the tiniest bit."

He was clearly planning mischief. His eyes sparkled, and his whole face was alive with energy. Li Ping nodded.

Zhao Danshi used his chopsticks to dip a tiny bit of sauce from the Three Treasures of the Earth, then put it into Dou Dou's mouth.

The moment Dou Dou tasted it, the spiciness burned him. His little face immediately changed. His brows furrowed, the corners of his mouth drooped, and he burst into tears with a wail.

He kicked his little hands and feet, two streams of tears rolling down his fair, tender cheeks. His grape-like black eyes looked as though they had been washed with water, and even the tip of his nose turned red as he kept bawling.

The old man's heart ached at the sight. He hurriedly reached out to take Dou Dou and gave Zhao Danshi a slap on the shoulder as he scolded, "You're already so grown up, yet you still have no sense of proportion. How could Dou Dou eat chili peppers?"

"Uh, this dish isn't spicy." Zhao Danshi came to his senses and hurriedly coaxed him. "Don't cry, don't cry. A real man doesn't cry. Dou Dou, let's not cry, okay?"

Holding Dou Dou, the old man gently rocked him. "Be good, Dou Dou, don't cry. We won't eat this dish again next time."

Li Ping placed his large hand against Zhao Danshi's back and gave it a light pat.

Seeing Dou Dou cry without stopping, Zhao Danshi felt a little regretful and was about to take him back to soothe him. Unexpectedly, as the little fellow cried, his tears slowly stopped. He smacked his lips as if savoring the remaining trace of sauce in his mouth.

When Zhao Danshi reached out to hold him, he opened his arms and threw himself back into Zhao Danshi's embrace. Yet his eyes remained fixed on the dishes on the table, his little face full of wonder, as though he had opened the door to a whole new world.

None of the three adults had expected Dou Dou's reaction. Seeing that the adults around him did nothing, Dou Dou babbled and patted Zhao Danshi's arm, urging him to give him more.

Zhao Danshi could not help laughing. He tapped Dou Dou's little nose. "You greedy little kitty, forgetting the pain as soon as you've eaten."

"And you have the nerve to talk about Dou Dou? Weren't you the same when you were little?"

"How was I the same? Grandpa, don't slander me."

"Still refusing to admit it?" The old man laughed at him. "When you were little, your grandmother made stir-fried sour bamboo shoots with pork. You would cry the moment you ate it because it was spicy, but you loved that dish. The more you ate, the more you cried, and the more you cried, the more you ate. No one could persuade you to stop. You clutched that plate for dear life and cried, leaving your grandmother with no choice but to make you a plate of sour bamboo shoots with pork without any chili. But you would not even touch it with your chopsticks. You insisted that stir-fry was no good and cried as you demanded the spicy plate."

Zhao Danshi truly could not remember that incident. When he met Li Ping's eyes, Li Ping was looking at him with an amused half-smile.

The tips of Zhao Danshi's ears reddened. He refused to admit it. "When did that happen? Grandpa, you must be remembering wrong. Maybe Dou Dou inherited this greedy streak from the Li family." As he spoke, Zhao Danshi shoved Dou Dou into Li Ping's arms. "Senior Brother, you hold him."

Dou Dou did not mind being transferred into his father's arms in the slightest. His eyes remained locked on the dishes, unwilling to look away.

Li Ping lightly patted his butt. "One taste is enough."

Zhao Danshi smiled. "Dou Dou, tomorrow Daddy will add a little meat juice and vegetable juice to your egg yolk for flavoring, all right?"

Dou Dou remained deeply devoted to the dishes on the table.

Li Ping was helpless. He could only take up his chopsticks and carefully dab a tiny bit of sauce onto Dou Dou's lips.

Before the chopsticks even reached him, Dou Dou had already raised his head and chased after them. His mouth and the chopsticks finally met in triumph, and Dou Dou sucked up that little bit of flavor.

This time, Dou Dou was satisfied. His little face wrinkled as though he was about to cry but not quite, and he kept smacking his lips to savor the taste. His tiny brows were furrowed, tears still in his eyes, but he was wholeheartedly immersed in the experience of taste, paying no attention at all to what his two fathers were saying.

The old man laughed too. "This child loves to eat. We won't have to worry about him refusing meals in the future."

Some children in the village were mischievous, and their grandparents had to chase after them every day to feed them. Sometimes one bowl of rice took two or three hours to finish. The old man felt his old arms and legs grow tired just watching.

Zhao Wende also said cheerfully, "It's good that he likes eating. He'll grow quickly and have a strong body."

"It's no wonder Dou Dou is greedy. These dishes really are delicious—fresh and sweet. I can't stop eating." The old man asked, "The vegetables in the fields are gradually becoming more plentiful. Shall we start picking them to sell?"

Zhao Danshi agreed. "Sure. Next market day, I'll pick some vegetables and test the waters. Aunt Yazi's vegetables aren't ready yet, are they?"

Li Ping nodded. "I haven't heard that she has eggplants or peppers to sell yet. The villagers' eggplants and peppers are growing fairly slowly. I checked a couple of days ago, and not many households even had flowers, let alone fruit."

"Great, we've gained the upper hand again. We should be able to sell them at a good price." Thinking of the several mu of vegetables in the fields, Zhao Danshi felt extremely pleased. Strawberries could bring them thirty or forty thousand yuan in income every month. Once their fruits and vegetables began hitting the market, earning sixty or seventy thousand yuan a month should not be a problem.

Farming in the village was hard work, but the income was far better than when they had worked in the city.

It was just that his Senior Brother had been wronged, falling from an overbearing CEO to a farmer. That was no small gap.

Zhao Danshi felt it was necessary to talk with his Senior Brother. His Senior Brother had already come here to relax for more than two months, and Zhao Danshi did not know what plans he had for the future. Zhao Danshi knew he would not be content with being only a farmer.