Chapter 25: Zongzi (Rice Dumplings)
The sky grew darker and darker.
Lu Ao herded the geese and slowly walked home with Song Zhou.
Their village was surrounded by mountains on three sides and faced the sea on one side, with beautiful hills and clear waters.
Now the sun was setting in the west, and rosy clouds filled the sky, dyeing the whole heavens red. The evening wind swept away the heat of the day.
The two of them herded the geese through vast stretches of abandoned fields, in no hurry to go back, simply letting time pass slowly.
Lu Ao was afraid Song Zhou might not be used to it and turned to ask him, “Do you think this is especially troublesome?”
“No. It’s especially warm.” Song Zhou turned his head and smiled. “It’s been a long time since I lived such a peaceful life.”
“Why?” Lu Ao did not understand. “Is your Extraordinary Personnel Supervision Agency especially busy?”
“Not really.” Song Zhou paused. Before Lu Ao could ask further, he took the initiative to say, “It’s just especially boring.”
“Mm?”
Song Zhou curved his eyes slightly, but he had no intention of continuing.
The two returned to Lu Ao’s house. Lu Ao herded the geese into the goose pen, gave them food and water, then went back to the courtyard.
Song Zhou was leisurely drinking tea.
In front of him, Lu Ao went to check the things inside the basket. Very soon, he found six zongzi, a big box of bayberries, and two large boxes of something unknown. They felt heavy in his hands.
Lu Ao lifted his eyes and asked Song Zhou with his gaze.
Song Zhou said, “This was lunch from our courtyard. One cold dish and one portion of fried ribs. I thought you would like them, so I brought you some.”
When it came to food, there was rarely anything Lu Ao did not like. He placed the boxes on the small table, moved a chair over, and sat opposite Song Zhou, rather curious. “Then I’m opening them?”
“Go ahead.”
Lu Ao lifted the lids. Coolness and heat rushed toward him at the same time.
The coolness came from the cold dish; the heat came from the fried ribs.
He did not know how Song Zhou had preserved them, but the cold dish was still fresh and moist. The cucumbers were green, the leaves were green, and small rings of green and red chili dotted the top. There was none of the darkened oxidation that cold dishes usually got after being left too long.
Looking at the ribs, all the pieces were meaty ribs, with small bones and plenty of meat. The meat still looked very tender, and the oil on top seemed to still be bubbling. A rich fragrance rose with the heat.
Lu Ao could not help swallowing. “It smells so good!”
Song Zhou’s eyes curved slightly. “I guessed you would like it.”
“I really like ribs. They look delicious.” Lu Ao stood up excitedly. “Wait a moment. I’ll go get bowls and chopsticks.”
“All right.”
Lu Ao quickly walked into the kitchen and came out with sterilized bowls and chopsticks.
“Come, let’s eat together.”
Song Zhou refused. “You eat. I didn’t bring much anyway.”
“How can I eat alone in front of a guest?” Lu Ao insisted on placing a bowl and chopsticks in front of Song Zhou, then went to unwrap a zongzi. “Hm? Two kinds of filling?”
“Yes. One is fresh pork, and one is salted egg yolk.”
“They smell so fragrant. Were these also made by the chef in your courtyard?”
“Yes. For the festival. We didn’t make many.”
The zongzi were not large, about the size of duck eggs.
Lu Ao took a gentle bite. One bite was half of one, just enough to bite off half the filling.
The one he ate was filled with meat, probably pork belly. It was half fat and half lean. When he bit into it, the clean fragrance of glutinous rice and the rich aroma of meat burst together in his mouth, making his mouth water.
Only while chewing did he realize that the zongzi did not only contain meat. There seemed to be something like pickled mustard inside as well. It crunched as he chewed, just right for cutting through the greasiness of the meat.
This meat zongzi was truly amazing.
Lu Ao tried another salted egg yolk zongzi.
He did not know whether the egg yolk was from a duck egg, but it tasted salty, fragrant, and delicious, with a very obvious sandy texture. Paired with the glutinous rice, it was fragrant and slightly sweet, with a rich flavor that made one want to savor it carefully.
After eating two zongzi in a row, Lu Ao felt a little greasy, so he picked up some cold dish with his chopsticks.
As soon as the dish entered his mouth, the fresh flavor of cucumber spread first, pressing down the greasiness in his throat. Then came some unknown leafy vegetable, crisp and refreshing, tossed in a slightly sour and spicy dressing. It was extremely appetizing.
After eating the cold dish, he picked up a rib.
The rib was still very hot and had to be blown on before eating.
The meat on this rib was very tender. Rarely, it did not have that bloody smell caused by marinating directly without blanching. It was pure meat flavor, wrapped in a thick sauce. With a light tear of the teeth, a large strip of meat could be pulled off, giving an immense sense of satisfaction.
Especially after eating the meat, the bone inside was only a tiny bit. It was nothing like ordinary ribs, where there was little meat and too much bone.
Lu Ao narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. “Your chef’s cooking is really excellent.”
“If you like it, I’ll bring you more next time.”
“Sure. When the time comes, I’ll send you fish too.”
Song Zhou said, “Didn’t you send me fish last time?”
“That’s different. Last time, I sent fish for you to eat. This time, I’ll send fish for the people in your agency to eat together.” Lu Ao looked at him. “When I sent you fish last time, didn’t you bring it over here too?”
Song Zhou said, “I’m not very good at cooking.”
Lu Ao was curious. “In that case, can’t you ask that chef in your courtyard to cook it for you?”
“He can cook, but he doesn’t like to. You’ll know in the future.”
Song Zhou talked a little about their Extraordinary Personnel Supervision Agency. Lu Ao listened while eating and felt that his horizons were being greatly broadened.
After finishing the zongzi and side dishes, Lu Ao cleaned up the basket and found a bracelet woven from multicolored silk threads at the bottom.
He picked it up and looked at it. “What is this?”
“A baisuozi worn during the Dragon Boat Festival.” Song Zhou said, “In the past, people here had the custom of wearing baisuozi during the Dragon Boat Festival. I don’t know whether people still do now, so I brought one for you along the way.”
Lu Ao had never heard of this custom, but since Song Zhou had given it to him, he put it on his wrist.
This baisuozi was quite beautiful, woven from five colors of silk thread—red, green, yellow, white, and black. A silver bead was strung in the middle, making it look very special.
After putting it on, Lu Ao asked, “How long do I have to wear this baisuozi before taking it off?”
“Any time is fine, but it’s best to wear it for a year and change to a new one next year.”
Lu Ao acknowledged this and stretched lazily.
He had just eaten his fill, and the sky had not completely darkened yet. He did not want to move and sat lazily on the chair.
Song Zhou did not rush him either. The two drank tea and talked.
They chatted until night fell. The sound of a motorcycle approached from far away, followed by the courtyard gate clanging.
Lu Ao went to open the gate. Standing outside was Lin Gongshang.
He was carrying a large basket. As soon as he saw Lu Ao, he shoved it over. “Lu Ao, my family finished wrapping zongzi. My mom told me to bring you some.”
Lu Ao reached out to take it. The basket was heavy, at least over ten jin.
He was startled. He lifted the cloth covering the basket and looked down, only to find that it was not only filled with more than half a basket of zongzi, but also nearly half a basket of lychees. “This is too much. How can I finish it alone?”
“How can you not finish it?” Lin Gongshang waved his hand. “Your fridge is so big. Just put them in the fridge. Heat them in the morning and evening, eat them as breakfast or late-night snacks, and you’ll finish them in a few meals.”
Lu Ao said, “Why are there so many lychees too?”
Lin Gongshang smiled honestly. “It’s fine. Take them and eat. Lychees aren’t expensive this year.”
They were fellow villagers, and Lin Gongshang had kindly brought them over. Lu Ao could not simply accept without giving anything back.
After thanking him, he poured out the zongzi and lychees, then went to the fridge to get a roast goose as a return gift.
He had not prepared anything particularly special for the festival, but his fridge was always stocked with a large amount of food.
They were all in the village, and no one would steal the vehicle outside, so when Lin Gongshang saw him enter the kitchen, he simply came in to wait.
Just now, Lu Ao had been blocking the doorway, so Lin Gongshang had not noticed. Once he entered, he saw Song Zhou sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. He froze for a moment, then turned his head and called loudly toward Lu Ao, “Lu Ao, your friend?”
“Yes.” Lu Ao quickly carried the roast goose out and introduced him to Lin Gongshang. “This is my friend, Song Zhou.”
Song Zhou stood up and greeted him with a smile. “Hello.”
“Hello, hello.” Lin Gongshang was still staring in a daze and asked, “Do good-looking people like you only make friends with other good-looking people?”
Lu Ao handed the basket back to him and laughed. “Are you praising yourself in a roundabout way?”
“Not really. I just think this brother is especially good-looking. Looking at him makes people think of that phrase—what was it? I was about to say it just now, but I forgot when it reached my mouth… Right, refined by the spirit of the land. This brother makes people think of that phrase at first glance!”
For a rough man like him, it was not easy to say an idiom.
Lu Ao laughed.
Lin Gongshang said, “Don’t laugh. Your aura just looks different from ordinary people’s. The first time I saw you at Brother Dawu’s shop, I was wondering if you were a celebrity. This brother here wouldn’t happen to be a celebrity too, would he?”
Song Zhou smiled. “I’m not a celebrity, just an ordinary office worker.”
“No way. With faces like yours, you could clearly make a living off your looks—”
“Lin Gongshang, what are you yelling about?” A voice came from outside the gate. “I could hear you shouting from far away, like a rooster crowing.”
The few of them turned to look and saw Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan also carrying large and small bags of zongzi, fruit, and other things over.
Lu Ao went to meet them. “Why are you here?”
Lin Qiyan handed him the bags in his hands and winked. “My grandma made zongzi and glutinous rice cakes. She insisted I bring some over for you.”
Lin Manzhang also said, “They’re all homemade zongzi. Brought some for you to try.”
The two of them also noticed Song Zhou.
Lu Ao introduced them once.
Lin Qiyan looked at Song Zhou, then at Lu Ao beside him, and seemed to fall into thought.
Lin Manzhang invited them, “It’s the festival today. Why don’t you come to my house for dinner?”
“No need. It’s rare to have a festival, so it wouldn’t be good to disturb you.”
Lin Qiyan came back to himself and quickly said, “Then come to my house. It’s just me and my grandma at home. Having two more people eat with us would make it livelier.”
“Really, no need. Song Zhou and I were thinking of going to catch crabs tonight.”
The tide would rise late today, just right for catching crabs.
As soon as Lin Gongshang heard this, his interest was piqued. “Just the two of you?”
“Isn’t it the festival today? We thought we’d catch some crabs to eat.”
“What fun is there with just two people?” Lin Gongshang rubbed his hands together eagerly. “How about you come eat with us first, and later we all go catch some crabs for a late-night snack?”
Lu Ao politely refused with a smile. “Forget it. Song Zhou finally came over. I can’t just abandon him and go eat.”
“What does that matter? Bring him along.”
“He isn’t used to it.”
Once Lu Ao gave this reason, everyone found it hard to persuade him further.
Lin Gongshang felt rather regretful.
Lu Ao saw them out.
Even after reaching the gate, Lin Gongshang still turned his head back and suggested eagerly, “How about you go catch them after dinner? We can come over and help then. Hey, Lin Qiyan, don’t you need to film videos? How about we record an episode of catching crabs?”
Lin Qiyan was called out by him and scratched his head. “That works too. But would it disturb you?”
“What disturbance?” Lu Ao instinctively felt that there was something odd about this sentence, but for a moment, he could not say what was odd, so he could only say, “It won’t disturb us.”
Lin Gongshang did not sense anything at all. Hearing this, he chattered on and unilaterally finalized it. “Then it’s settled. After we finish dinner, we’ll come gather at your house at nine, then go catch crabs together?”
Lu Ao had nothing he could say and could only nod.
Before long, the three returned to their own homes. Lu Ao sat back down to drink tea and said regretfully to Song Zhou, “No way around it. We’ll have to bring them along.”
Song Zhou’s eyes curved. “It’s fine.”
Lu Ao rubbed his stomach. “I’m a little full. How about we just wait for late-night snacks?”
“All right.”
“Then we’ll wait a bit. Song Zhou, do you play Chinese chess or Go? Let’s play a game?”
“I play both. Which one do you want?”
“Chinese chess.”
Lu Ao went inside and dug out the Chinese chess set to play with Song Zhou.
When he was little, he had even attended a Chinese chess interest class. In university, he had joined the chess club. When he went to the street corner to play Chinese chess, ordinary old men usually could not beat him.
Lu Ao was rather proud of this. Unexpectedly, when they actually started playing, he lost more often than he won. He could only win one round out of about five or six games.
And in the one game he did win, he could not even tell how Song Zhou had lost!
Lu Ao’s expression was almost impossible to maintain. The more he played, the more dejected he became. Since he could not win no matter what, he did not want to continue anymore.
After finally holding out until past eight, voices came from outside the courtyard. Lu Ao used the chance to push the chessboard away, pulled back his chair, and ran over to open the courtyard gate, rarely enthusiastic. “Why are you only arriving now?”
Lin Gongshang glanced at his phone and said honestly, “It’s not late. It’s only eight thirty-four.”
“That’s pretty late too.” Lu Ao cut him off. “Did you bring everything?”
“We did, we did. We brought tongs and buckets.”
Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan also said, “We brought everything.”
“Good, good, good. Then let’s go tide-pooling early.” Lu Ao took the bucket and tongs from under the eaves and called Song Zhou. “Song Zhou, let’s go.”
Song Zhou put the last chess piece back into the box and smiled. “All right.”
Lu Ao did not look at the evidence of his defeat at all. He hurriedly picked up the bucket and was about to walk out.
Seeing that Song Zhou said nothing, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
There were many of them, so they simply walked there.
When they reached the seaside, Lu Ao said, “Should we split into two groups? You go toward Linwu Village, and we’ll go upward. Splitting up will make it easier to find things.”
Lin Manzhang said, “Either way is fine. Be careful.”
“You too. Watch out for moss. We’ll meet in front of my house at ten.”
After confirming the time and directions, the two sides split up and quickly put distance between them.
Lu Ao rarely came tide-pooling at night. Feeling the gentle evening wind, he took a deep breath. “Come on, come on. Let’s see what good stuff we can catch tonight.”
Song Zhou walked beside him, holding the flashlight. “Aren’t we catching crabs?”
“Crabs are the main target, but tide-pooling is the kind of thing where you might find anything. It’s not like you can catch whatever you want just because you want it. Hey, I think I saw a snail.”
Song Zhou swept his gaze over and saw it too.
Lu Ao ran over in a few steps, crouched down, and reached out to grab the snail tightly attached to the reef.
The sea waves slapped against the rocks, splashing up white foam.
Song Zhou was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He grabbed Lu Ao and pulled him up, avoiding the spray.
Lu Ao had already caught the snail. After perfectly dodging the wave, he could not help laughing. “Exciting!”
“Don’t run around. Be careful.”
“It’s fine. I know where I’m stepping.” Lu Ao urged Song Zhou, “Come on, come on. There’s nothing good here. Let’s go up farther. There’s a shallow area over there with reefs underneath. There should be quite a lot hiding there.”
Naturally, Song Zhou had no objection. He held onto him, his eyes curving. “Do you want to cheat a little?”
“Hm?” Lu Ao did not understand. The next second, his vision blurred, and they were already standing in the reef area.
The surrounding scenery suddenly changed. Lu Ao was startled and lost his balance, quickly holding onto Song Zhou.
Before he could speak, within the range of the flashlight, Lu Ao suddenly caught a flash of something out of the corner of his eye.
It seemed like there was a big one!
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