Chapter 10: Nostoc
Ying Kongtu kept Wen Zhongshan and the orange tabby at his home for dinner.
Although the orange tabby was a little overweight, Ying Kongtu still could not resist finding some stream fish in the refrigerator and cooking it a small bowl as an extra meal.
The orange tabby crouched beside the cat bowl and ate with a purring sound. Apart from the fish head, it finished everything else.
After dinner, it came over again and rubbed against Ying Kongtu’s legs.
Its warm, soft, thick fur was smooth and slippery. Ying Kongtu picked it up onto his lap and played with it.
Wen Zhongshan no longer kept the orange tabby restrained, so Ying Kongtu saw it more often.
Since he often saw the cat, he also became familiar with Wen Zhongshan, the cat’s owner.
That day, rain fell through the night again.
When Ying Kongtu got up the next morning, he pushed open the window.
The dark mountains looked freshly washed, and the forest was a deep green, so rich it seemed almost ready to flow downward.
Mountain mist stretched across the mountainside, and the air was full of fresh moisture.
Ying Kongtu took a deep breath.
It was already June, but Changchuan County was still very cool. The crisp air filled his lungs, making him feel light as well.
In high spirits, Ying Kongtu called Wen Zhongshan.
Wen Zhongshan always got up early, and his routine was about the same as Ying Kongtu’s. He answered at once.
“Kongtu? Morning.”
“Morning.” There was a smile in Ying Kongtu’s voice. “Do you want to go up the mountain to gather nostoc? It’s also called ground skin vegetable.”
“Now?”
“It rained for so long last night. The nostoc will definitely have come out today. I know a patch of very delicious nostoc. Do you want to go together?”
“Give me a moment. I’ll come right over.”
“The mountain may be a little slippery, and the place we’re going today is fairly high. Bring your climbing gear.”
“All right. I’ll bring my trekking poles.”
Twenty minutes later, the two met up.
Ying Kongtu handed Wen Zhongshan an empty basket. “You carry this basket.”
Seeing that the basket on Ying Kongtu’s back was filled with chopped greens, Wen Zhongshan forcibly took half of it. “What’s this?”
“To carry up the mountain and feed the pigs. They still can’t find all their food in the wild, so I have to feed them a little extra.”
Wen Zhongshan knew he was raising pigs on the mountain and nodded in understanding.
The two still began climbing from Wuchuan Mountain.
Ying Kongtu’s little pigs were kept beside the vegetable garden. It only took a few minutes of walking upward from the foot of the mountain to reach them.
Ying Kongtu fed the pigs at this time every day. As soon as the little pigs heard movement, they crowded over, grunting and whining for food.
The black-skinned piglets had grown for a while. Now they had stretched out, looking lean and long, but their bodies were very clean, and they were quite adorable.
They nearly overturned Wen Zhongshan’s stereotype of pigs.
After Ying Kongtu poured out the food, he said to Wen Zhongshan, “Let’s go.”
Wen Zhongshan glanced back. “No need to look after them?”
Ying Kongtu said lightly, “No need. Once they finish eating, they’ll go move around by themselves.”
The two continued climbing upward.
After walking for more than half an hour, Wen Zhongshan saw hoofprints by the roadside.
“Are these pig hoofprints? Their range of activity is that wide?”
Ying Kongtu glanced at them. “Wild boar prints.”
“You can tell even that?”
“It’s obvious. Look at this hoofprint. You can see all four hoof toes here, the marks of the main hooves and side hooves.” Ying Kongtu pointed at the hoofprint. “Domestic pig hoofprints aren’t that clear, nor are they that sharp.”
“They really aren’t.”
Ying Kongtu led Wen Zhongshan onward. “The domestic pigs are still small. Their activity range is limited, and their fighting ability isn’t good either. This is wild boar territory.”
“In the mountain forest, is every piece of land divided among different animals?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that most animals have fixed areas where they move around.”
As they talked, the two continued upward.
Ying Kongtu pointed out the flowers, grasses, trees, and animal traces they encountered along the path.
This was his mountain. He understood every single thing here very clearly.
When he spoke about these usually inconspicuous plants and animals, he always made them sound interesting, perhaps because he had poured feeling into them.
Wen Zhongshan listened to him speak unhurriedly, and his emotions followed his words the whole way.
After climbing for a while longer, Wen Zhongshan suddenly pointed ahead. “Is that nostoc?”
Nostoc was one of the few wild vegetables Wen Zhongshan could recognize.
The pile of nostoc he was pointing at was right beside the path, growing among shallow grass.
These nostoc were somewhat green, a little gelatinous, and lay semi-transparently on the ground. The rainwater had washed them very clean. Even with one or two pine needles mixed in, they looked quite pleasing.
Wen Zhongshan’s hands itched a little, and he bent down, wanting to pick them.
Ying Kongtu held his upper arm, his voice carrying a smile. “Don’t pick these. There are better ones up above.”
Wen Zhongshan straightened, also smiling. “Up above? Any farther up, and we’ll be at the foot of another mountain.”
Mountain ranges overlapped upon mountain ranges; the summit of a low mountain was the foot of a higher one.
“Yes. There’s a snow mountain lake above. The nostoc growing by the lake is especially delicious. It’s a treasured nostoc-gathering spot of mine.”
“Then that really does sound worth looking forward to.”
“Let’s go. We’ll climb faster.”
Ying Kongtu led Wen Zhongshan upward.
Ordinary people could not keep up with Ying Kongtu’s speed, nor did they have his endurance, but Wen Zhongshan had no problem.
This was also one of the reasons Ying Kongtu always liked bringing Wen Zhongshan along.
They passed through stretch after stretch of forest and meadow. When they finally emerged from a spruce forest, the view before them suddenly brightened.
Wen Zhongshan stood where he was. The distant snow mountain, the nearby grassland, and the sky overhead were all bright.
The wind blew over, pressing his clothes against his body.
It was a little cold, but looking at such a vast scene, his mood could not help brightening too.
“The scenery here is way too beautiful.” Wen Zhongshan turned to look at Ying Kongtu in the wind. “I didn’t even know there was a lake here!”
“Snow Mountain Lake,” Ying Kongtu said. “Because it’s too high, people rarely come here. Come on, I’ll take you to gather nostoc.”
The nostoc grew right beside Snow Mountain Lake.
The area was full of crushed stones. Because there was no shelter, the wind was even stronger.
Wen Zhongshan, however, paid no attention to that. At one glance, he saw the nostoc growing by the lake.
The nostoc here were large, plump pieces, almost every one of them with a clear shape, quite different from the fingernail-sized nostoc below.
Even their color was different. The nostoc here were greener.
“They really do look like wood ear mushrooms. No wonder they’re called ground wood ear.” Wen Zhongshan crouched down. “The nostoc here are far too plump!”
“This kind of nostoc is especially large, easy to wash, and delicious. It has a special fresh fragrance. Once cooked properly, its flavor is no worse than some famous mushrooms.”
“Then shall we start picking? Can all of them be picked?”
“Pick the larger pieces. They’ll be easier to wash later.”
The two set their baskets aside and picked the large pieces.
Every piece of nostoc here was in excellent condition and felt heavy in the hand.
One piece after another fell into the baskets, and soon they had piled up half a basket.
After they had picked most of the nostoc beneath their feet, Ying Kongtu lifted his basket and stood up, saying to Wen Zhongshan, “The very delicious fish I mentioned last time live in this lake.”
“There are fish in the lake too?” Wen Zhongshan looked toward the lake. “Then we’ll come fishing next time.”
Ying Kongtu said, “In a while. Around August or September, the fish will start getting fat.”
It was getting late. After gathering the nostoc, they went down the mountain.
On the way down, Ying Kongtu took Wen Zhongshan on a detour to the vegetable garden.
The green chilies in the garden were growing just right. Ying Kongtu picked a handful of tender chilies, two loofahs, and a bunch of water spinach before going home.
The green chilies at his home were different from the ones sold on the market. They had a special fresh spiciness and were perfect for stir-frying mountain delicacies like nostoc.
After returning home, the two poured the nostoc into a basin.
Ying Kongtu specifically drew well water to wash them. Tap water would not do; it would ruin that fresh sweetness.
The washed nostoc were poured out and placed in a bamboo colander to drain.
Ying Kongtu went to cut the side ingredients. He chopped the fresh chilies very finely so they would be convenient to stir-fry later.
Wen Zhongshan peeled garlic beside him. The single-clove garlic had been dried thoroughly. Once peeled and placed in a small bowl, it quickly filled the bowl.
The side ingredients were soon ready. Wen Zhongshan tended the fire, and Ying Kongtu began to stir-fry.
The fire burned extremely strong, and the wok grew extremely hot.
The large iron wok stored up heat. When the snow-white lard went in, it melted like fresh snow under the blazing sun.
In just a moment, the kitchen was full of fragrance.
Ying Kongtu grabbed a large handful of garlic cloves and tossed them into the hot oil to fry out their aroma. Then he shook the bamboo colander full of nostoc and poured the nostoc into the wok.
Sizzle—
The nostoc jumped and collided in the oil, turned by Ying Kongtu’s spatula with crisp, rapid sounds.
As he stir-fried them, he scattered in a large amount of chopped green chili.
The moment the chopped green chilies entered the wok, their special fresh spiciness rose, making the fragrance in the kitchen more complex and richer.
Ying Kongtu simply added salt, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Then, before taking the dish out of the wok, he added a big handful of finely minced garlic, plated everything, and served it in a large ocean bowl.
Today’s dinner was still two dishes and one soup: nostoc with green chilies, water spinach with minced garlic, and loofah soup with sliced pork.
As soon as the food reached the table, the two tacitly picked up spoons and scooped up the stir-fried nostoc.
The dark green nostoc piled on top of the snow-white rice. Ying Kongtu mixed it with his chopsticks, then scooped up a spoonful and put it into his mouth.
The nostoc was fresh, spicy, hot, and fragrant. Paired with the soft, clean fragrance of the rice, it was rich and glossy with oil.
After chewing, not only his mouth, but even his entire nasal cavity filled with that special aroma.
With one bite, he felt utterly satisfied.
It was Wen Zhongshan’s first time eating nostoc, so he tasted it carefully at first.
This kind of nostoc truly had not the slightest muddy or fishy taste. There was only an extreme freshness and an indescribable fragrance.
The cooked nostoc had a slightly soft and glutinous texture, wrapped in its own fresh, savory juices, paired with fresh and spicy chopped green chilies, fried fragrant garlic cloves, and the big handful of minced garlic added before it came out of the wok.
Layer upon layer of flavors built on one another, making it impossible to stop eating.
“It’s really delicious!” Wen Zhongshan looked up at Ying Kongtu. “It’s completely different from the nostoc I imagined.”
Ying Kongtu said, “Right? I cooked a huge pot of rice.”
“Then I’m going to eat three bowls.” Wen Zhongshan took another mouthful of rice, then said to Ying Kongtu, “Even if you asked me to climb the mountain again overnight to gather nostoc, I could climb up. It’s too delicious.”
Ying Kongtu laughed. “We gathered plenty. There’s no need to gather more. Just eat your rice in peace.”
Wen Zhongshan took another bite of stir-fried nostoc and sighed in admiration. “Sure enough, when gathering mountain delicacies, I have to follow you. This taste is incredible!”
